So my dd has lost interest in facebook and myspace.

[Apiphobic]

That's good news, right? :001_huh:

 

Unfortunately, she now loves reading at fanfiction.net. A lot of it is garbage, but there are a few names that she'll seek out to read. I just can't help but feel that it's so much time wasted.

 

This is the child that puzzled me to no end when she read four or five books at a time and would often re-read the same books over and over. And she wouldn't always read from beginning to end with the books she'd already read; she'd start at a favorite spot and maybe wouldn't finish the book. I remember asking here on the boards if that were normal and feeling reassured when I heard that many people do that.

 

Well, that turned out okay, because I was fine with most of her book selections. But with fanfiction.net, I just worry that the time spent finding and following the good story arcs isn't worth the time wasted wading through the crap. On the other hand, I know she's got a solid foundation with her reading background. Now I feel like I should practice letting her find her own way with her reading choices. It's not easy! :tongue_smilie:

 

She's also been spending hours writing her own story. I suppose that's another reason I've been hesitant to pull the plug on fanfiction. She loves writing her story, but she has no intention of signing up at fanfiction or submitting her story there. I love the animation and excitement she has about it. She and her younger sister share their stories with each other, and it's nice to see their creativity and brainstorming together. I just worry that fanfiction is the wrong trail to wander down.

 

Anyway, I was wondering if anybody else had experience with fanfiction.net and would mind sharing it. I also wondered how many people are finding themselves reading more and more online. Oh, that reminds me that many hard-to-find Scarlet Pimpernel stories are online and she loves those. I'll have to find them again for her.

 

Thanks for your thoughts.

[TravelingChris]

My daughter is similar. She has an account on facebook but finds it boring and hardly ever check in. She is adamantly against myspace. She does do fanfiction. She loves to write and this helps her get feedback. She is 15 1/2 and is vigilant about net security. She routinely reports abuses on the various sites she visits and is hypervigilant about revealing personal info since at age 11, she was contacted by a predator online after playing runescape. We don't allow that game and she is very protective of her younger sister's activities on the net.

[MIch elle]

I read that book 10 yrs ago and loved it. I just pulled it off my shelf and looked at all my notes & underlining.

 

How has your book selling efforts gone? Mine has gone well but I'm SICK of packing up books. It's been a cathartic process.

[Heather in the Kootenays]

I agree that much of it is not good but I'm OK with her reading it because not only is it encouraging her to write, it seems to be encouraging her to be more critical of what she reads.

[Firefly]

Hi Api,

 

I wouldn't worry about it too much. I know some have a different philosophy but I've come to believe that reading is reading... and a love of reading (even stuff I'm not crazy about) is better than risking them lose that passion for it. Besides, more than likely it's just a passing fancy. I've BTDT in high school. Even now, sometimes I just want a fluff piece to read.

 

That said, as a former fan-fic writer myself, I will say that there is actually some really great reads out there, some pretty talented individuals; though admittedly you do have wade through a lot of crap.

 

Just my .02!

[Apiphobic]

My daughter is similar. She has an account on facebook but finds it boring and hardly ever check in. She is adamantly against myspace. She does do fanfiction. She loves to write and this helps her get feedback. She is 15 1/2 and is vigilant about net security. She routinely reports abuses on the various sites she visits and is hypervigilant about revealing personal info since at age 11, she was contacted by a predator online after playing runescape. We don't allow that game and she is very protective of her younger sister's activities on the net.

 

Yes, dd mentioned that the feedback can be better than the original storyline.

 

I'm glad to hear your dd is playing it safe!

 

I read that book 10 yrs ago and loved it. I just pulled it off my shelf and looked at all my notes & underlining.

 

How has your book selling efforts gone? Mine has gone well but I'm SICK of packing up books. It's been a cathartic process.

 

It's funny because I'd just watched the movie Gandhi before starting this book, and I keep seeing the image of him sitting spinning his thread when the author talks about intermediate technology.

 

As for selling books, I think I'm done. Whew!

 

I agree that much of it is not good but I'm OK with her reading it because not only is it encouraging her to write, it seems to be encouraging her to be more critical of what she reads.

 

Good point.

Thank you.

 

Hi Api,

 

I wouldn't worry about it too much. I know some have a different philosophy but I've come to believe that reading is reading... and a love of reading (even stuff I'm not crazy about) is better than risking them lose that passion for it. Besides, more than likely it's just a passing fancy. I've BTDT in high school. Even now, sometimes I just want a fluff piece to read.

 

That said, as a former fan-fic writer myself, I will say that there is actually some really great reads out there, some pretty talented individuals; though admittedly you do have wade through a lot of crap.

 

Just my .02!

 

You're right, it probably is a phase.

Thanks for reminding me.

[Renthead Mommy]

I love fanfic.net! I've been reading and writing on it for most of my 30's (and I'm quickly running out of those!). I never would have written anything if it hadn't been for that. The first things I wrote, I didn't have any intention of ever putting up. But I had been reviewing stuff and was encouraged to post my stories, so I finally did. It was a great feeling to put it out there and have people give me feedback. I've written one novel sized story as well as many shorter pieces. I've got a number of ideas for other things, but right now I've got more ideas than time!

 

Yes some of it is crap. But after awhile, especially if you are reading a lot under one book or movie title, you figure out pretty quick if it's going to be worth your time. Usually you can get a sense of their writing style in the first few paragraphs. As long as she realizes, this isn't school, she doesn't HAVE to finish something, read what she enjoys. If it's lousy, read something else. But I will say that I have read some pieces that were better written than the original books they are based on!

 

I'm still amazed at what I've written. It felt incredible to accomplish what I did with my one big piece. And it's been a very enjoyable hobby. People that like books, often wish "they could do that", well, guess what? With fanfic, you can. Encourage her.

[C_l_e_0..Q_c]

I was heavily into fanfic myself for a while.

 

I see nothing wrong with fanfic, it's great fun. Sites like Fanfiction.net are great because of the ratings on each fanfic, and the feedback. As a reader, you can look for stories that interest you. You get forewarned about the content too. There's fanfic out there that has high sexual content, or very violent, but at least you know what you're getting into before even reading it! The editorial staff takes its job very seriously when setting the ratings.

http://www.fictionratings.com/guide.php

 

However, there are sites out there that specialize in sexually explicit fanfic. Oh my, I even wrote some! :tongue_smilie: As long as you trust your daughter to choose wisely, or if you think she's old enough to choose for herself, I'd say let her!

Edited April 23, 2009 by CleoQc

[Renthead Mommy]

I was heavily into fanfic myself for a while.

 

I see nothing wrong with fanfic, it's great fun. Sites like Fanfiction.net are great because of the ratings on each fanfic, and the feedback. As a reader, you can look for stories that interest you. You get forewarned about the content too. There's fanfic out there that has high sexual content, or very violent, but at least you know what you're getting into before even reading it! The editioral staff takes its job very seriously when setting the ratings.

http://www.fictionratings.com/guide.php

 

However, there are sites out there that specialize in sexually explicit fanfic. Oh my, I even wrote some! :tongue_smilie: As long as you trust your daughter to choose wisely, or if you think she's old enough to choose for herself, I'd say let her!

 

 

True, ff.net is pretty good at what they do. I would say she can only read ffs at ff.net. Anywhere else can get a little (a lot!) dicey. Years ago, ff.net had a NC-17 section, but they don't even have that anymore. They stop at regular R or mature ratings. And what is going to be written about will also depend on what it is based on. And already sexually charged book or movie is going to have more smut in it's fanfics than a book that didn't start off that way. A lot depends on the characters you have to start with.

 

But if you say only ff.net, and no Mature stories, she should be fine.

[LibraryLover]

Fanfic is bad? I learned about FF through a friend who is brilliant (MIT grad), not to mention a fantastic mother. She is also a writer and reader of fan fic.

 

Gads, fun is fun, and everyone should be allowed their harmless, interesting interests.

[Guest Katia]

Stacey, I'm wondering if perhaps we have the same dd? Yours sounds exactly like mine!

 

I don't worry about the fanfiction. I read what I like; she reads what she likes. I'm ok with that. And, she has sent me links to some of her favorites and they are very, very good!

 

Besides, she still reads tons of books from the library as well, plus her literature stuff I make her read (currently it's Shakespeare's Othello and she is totally into it!), so......fanfic is just her 'fun'. No worries.

[Academy of Jedi Arts]

I went through a similar stage in my teen years, although not with fanfic and we didn't have internet. :tongue_smilie:I think there is value in reading other people's crap. Crap identification is an important skill.

[Guest Katia]

I went through a similar stage in my teen years, although not with fanfic and we didn't have internet. :tongue_smilie:I think there is value in reading other people's crap. Crap identification is an important skill.

 

Excellent point!

[Apiphobic]

I love fanfic.net! I've been reading and writing on it for most of my 30's (and I'm quickly running out of those!). I never would have written anything if it hadn't been for that. The first things I wrote, I didn't have any intention of ever putting up. But I had been reviewing stuff and was encouraged to post my stories, so I finally did. It was a great feeling to put it out there and have people give me feedback. I've written one novel sized story as well as many shorter pieces. I've got a number of ideas for other things, but right now I've got more ideas than time!

 

Yes some of it is crap. But after awhile, especially if you are reading a lot under one book or movie title, you figure out pretty quick if it's going to be worth your time. Usually you can get a sense of their writing style in the first few paragraphs. As long as she realizes, this isn't school, she doesn't HAVE to finish something, read what she enjoys. If it's lousy, read something else. But I will say that I have read some pieces that were better written than the original books they are based on!

 

I'm still amazed at what I've written. It felt incredible to accomplish what I did with my one big piece. And it's been a very enjoyable hobby. People that like books, often wish "they could do that", well, guess what? With fanfic, you can. Encourage her.

 

Thank you for sharing this. This is good to know in case she ever does decide to post or publish her material.

 

And, yes, I've heard some of the spin-off or sequel material is better than the originals.

 

I was heavily into fanfic myself for a while.

 

I see nothing wrong with fanfic, it's great fun. Sites like Fanfiction.net are great because of the ratings on each fanfic, and the feedback. As a reader, you can look for stories that interest you. You get forewarned about the content too. There's fanfic out there that has high sexual content, or very violent, but at least you know what you're getting into before even reading it! The editorial staff takes its job very seriously when setting the ratings.

http://www.fictionratings.com/guide.php

 

However, there are sites out there that specialize in sexually explicit fanfic. Oh my, I even wrote some! :tongue_smilie: As long as you trust your daughter to choose wisely, or if you think she's old enough to choose for herself, I'd say let her!

 

Oh, yes, I've seen some of the explicit stuff.

I didn't realize so many here have written and posted fanfic. I guess I shouldn't be surprised ... look how many have started blogs.

Thank you for sharing.

 

True, ff.net is pretty good at what they do. I would say she can only read ffs at ff.net. Anywhere else can get a little (a lot!) dicey. Years ago, ff.net had a NC-17 section, but they don't even have that anymore. They stop at regular R or mature ratings. And what is going to be written about will also depend on what it is based on. And already sexually charged book or movie is going to have more smut in it's fanfics than a book that didn't start off that way. A lot depends on the characters you have to start with.

 

But if you say only ff.net, and no Mature stories, she should be fine.

 

Do you think it's become more popular over the years?

I can't remember when I first heard about it, so I don't know if its popularity seems recent only because I've just become very aware of it or if it really has taken off pretty recently.

 

Fanfic is bad? I learned about FF through a friend who is brilliant (MIT grad), not to mention a fantastic mother. She is also a writer and reader of fan fic.

 

Gads, fun is fun, and everyone should be allowed their harmless, interesting interests.

 

From the little I've read, I wasn't eager to find more. It may have been the stories I found though, and I missed the good ones.

 

This is what I was trying to decide, whether or not it was harmless and how much is too much.

 

Stacey, I'm wondering if perhaps we have the same dd? Yours sounds exactly like mine!

 

I don't worry about the fanfiction. I read what I like; she reads what she likes. I'm ok with that. And, she has sent me links to some of her favorites and they are very, very good!

 

Besides, she still reads tons of books from the library as well, plus her literature stuff I make her read (currently it's Shakespeare's Othello and she is totally into it!), so......fanfic is just her 'fun'. No worries.

 

Thanks, Katia. I'm glad to hear she's not one of the few, the brave ... oops, lost my train of thought. I'm glad to hear she's not one of the few, lone homeschoolers reading this! :tongue_smilie:

 

I know she has a couple of friends who have written stuff for it, and I'm not ... uhhh, well, let's just say I'm not beating down their door for any more.

 

I went through a similar stage in my teen years, although not with fanfic and we didn't have internet. :tongue_smilie:I think there is value in reading other people's crap. Crap identification is an important skill.

 

LOL

 

Don't we all need some crap identification skillz?